“Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and air. The primary difference between a CASEVAC and a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) is that a MEDEVAC uses a standardized and dedicated vehicle providing en route care. On the other hand, CASEVAC uses non-standardized and non-dedicated vehicles that may or may not provide en route care.”

These people used family vehicles and a moving truck.

We broke up into small groups after our house church message on Covenant Relationships. The guy hosting had offered a powerful message on the topic from Tim Keller; author, speaker, and leader of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Frankly, I went to bed thinking about that and was pretty sure I would be awakened this morning to a collection of thoughts, ideas, stories, and quotes around that topic.

As is often the case, God had other plans. I couldn’t shake the experience and stories of the folks with whom we spent time praying. After 13 years in the mission field of Hollywood (not just living in the area, but literally walking the sets), they were returning to Texas. They had lived in a place where their core Christian beliefs were antagonizing to most and assaulted by many. Having just recently CASEVAC’d out of that military zone, they were still trying to orient to this new place.

We were a little embarrassed to talk about how our biggest struggle right now is in finding the energy, focus, and intentionality to fully optimize the banquet feast of opportunities God has prepared: Men’s retreats, one-on-one’s, working with organizations, coaching of every manner, sorting through next steps on a house church, and leading a family camp. I realized this morning, however, that there were some powerful similarities between our stories. We have both been feeling the effects of living in a world at war, of living in Kosovo.

Our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion and devours. The open and visceral assault this couple experienced over a dozen or so years, was unmistakable. The paralysis and malaise that my wife and I were experiencing, with all the opportunity to advance Kingdom in front of us, looked very different, but was sourced from the same place.

We have an enemy.

He knows us and hates us.

His goal is to pin us down.

Isolate us.

Keep us from the truth.

Keep us from fulfilling God’s appointed task for us.

It should’t surprise me at this point, but when they discussed the challenging season of their time in the west and the heroic journey they took to arrive here, the primary role player of the enemy didn’t enter my mind. When I recanted the paralysis we were feeling in all that was set in front of us, I didn’t acknowledge him either. I listed all the catalysts, reasons, and excuses for the lack of motivation and focus, but I didn’t note the one who is most powerfully marshalling his forces against us in order to keep us from our appointed Kingdom assignments.

Are you clear on the task that has been appointed to you?

Are you aware of all that is set against you and that much of the opposition you are feeling can be sourced to an enemy who knows you and hates you?

The Bible says that if we acknowledge our enemy’s presence and ask him to flee, he will. Will you? (The movie “War Room” beautifully displays what it looks like to do this. If you are not sure how to do that or what it looks like, check it out in theaters now. Check it out and practice it at home… it is a real game changer!)